Dear Blogger….Please put your Phone down!

Last weekend somebody drove into my car. Thankfully it was in a residential area so I drove less than 10mph. Thankfully the other driver did not crash into the back passenger door where Molly-May was sitting strapped into her carseat. Molly-May and myself where not hurt (unfortunately the same can’t be said about my car). Due to the drivers attention being taking away and her eyes weren’t on the road she caused a collision with my car and now I have to deal with the unpleasant task of calling my insurance and going through the whole task of getting my damaged car back to normal again. That has made me think a lot about some discussions recently regarding bloggers recording Insta Stories whilst driving.

Dear Blogger, please put your phone down, Insta Stories can wait!!

Now you might argue with people use a Sat Nav, change the radio station or turn the heather on/off whilst driving how is that any different? Well it is because the above listed things you might do whilst driving are all NOT illegal. Operating a phone whilst driving is ILLEGAL even if its hands free because the law has changed recently. Despite your phone being clipped into a car phone holder you STILL have to operate the screen to push next on your Insta Stories!!

You make the choice to not only put your life in danger but those of your children in the back of your car and even worse those of innocent strangers, from pedestrians to drivers who just happen to be on the same road as you! And WHY? Because you want to get more traffic on your Instagram, you want to be seen, you need to tell your followers all about your morning or about your plans for a day out. There are some who do Insta Live because there are otherwise “bored” for the next 40 minutes having to drive to get from A to Z. Its live so you might not have to touch your phone screen to push ‘next’ but I can see your eyes flicker to the phone camera quite often and a few minutes in you turn around to show your readers a ‘funny thing’ you spotted on the opposite roadside….not to be missed! Really? I have unfollowed a Blogger 6 month ago because she use to Insta Story EVERY morning on the school run with her child visible in the back seat. It made me feel uneasy that she puts both their lives in danger and for what?? A Story about how she slept last night? About what her plans are today?

Why would you put blogging before your own safety? Is it really worth that much?

The new Laws came into place on the 1st of March 2017 and instead of the 30£ fine which was introduced back in 2003. The fixed penalty notice is now 200£ as well as 6 penalty points on your licence.

Hands free devices are still allowed but you are forbidden from touching, picking up or moving the device at any time. Police still have the power to pull you over if they believe that drivers are big distracted by their hands free mobile device and issue a fine.

Rule 150

There is a danger of driver distraction being caused by in-vehicle systems such as satellite navigation systems, congestion warning systems, PCs, multi-media, etc. You MUST exercise proper control of your vehicle at all times. Do not rely on driver assistance systems such as cruise control or lane departure warnings. They are available to assist but you should not reduce your concentration levels. Do not be distracted by maps or screen-based information (such as navigation or vehicle management systems) while driving or riding. If necessary find a safe place to stop.

You must stay in full control of your vehicle at all times. The police can stop you if they think you’re not in control because you’re distracted and you can be prosecuted! Taken from the www.gov.co.uk website.

As a driver YOU are responsible for anything that distracts you from driving. It’s hard to not get distracted from the common ones like the noise your children make in the backseat or a conversation you have with your passenger BUT you can make that choice of not getting distracted when it comes to recording Insta Stories whilst driving.

It’s entirely YOUR choice but I hope you think about it twice and think about the dramatic consequences there could be IF something goes wrong, you take your eyes of the road for just a split second and something really bad happens!

Dear Blogger I want you to think about it! What choice will YOU make next??